THE COSTS
I see the cost of this broken into two parts, the first being up-front costs to buy me time for the first 2-3 years, and funding for my short film project. The rough cost breakdown for those years I see as follows.
$60,000
BASE LIVING WAGEYEARS 1-3
$2000-2500 / Month
$1500-2000 / Month
Anything saved, or other income earned through commercial directing (without direct pursuance, strictly from my commercial representation) outside of this will be tracked and used on purchases that further the writing of my script or narrative career
- rent of a zoned live work space for housing and work (70% tax write off against income when renting zoned live work)
$1500-2000 / Month
- Living Expenses
Car
Internet
Groceries
Phone
Anything saved, or other income earned through commercial directing (without direct pursuance, strictly from my commercial representation) outside of this will be tracked and used on purchases that further the writing of my script or narrative career
- Books
- Professional script coverage / feedback
- Meetings in Vancouver or Toronto with narrative managers / producers
- A trip to LA for meetings with potential managers
$30,000
SHORT FILM FUNDONE TIME COST
I have had this script priced out by multiple producers and all of them have come up with a rough guess of around this cost. That might not mean we need all of the money up front. Perhaps only a portion will be needed to get a production company to top up the funding, but this almost always requires a certain amount of promised funding in firm place before the will consider. For the sake of expenses, $30,000 will stay the number for the script I have completed. Once the final number is arrived on, a highly detailed cost breakdown will come from my producer and their line producer before any money is spent up front.
AFTER YEAR 3
This is the crunch time of the first feature. This is where the need for a financier (you) is pivotal. While the entertainment industry is fickle and tough to predict, I want the clear goal of my first feature to make back between double and triple the initial investment. Repaying you for the initial investment of supporting me in the 3 years previously, making you much more on top of that, and opening the door to further projects together. While it’s impossible to know the exact cost of my first feature before writing the script, I can almost guarantee a budget below 3 million for a first feature, likely in the 1-2 million range. This is where the true opportunity for both of us comes to fruition, and with your initial support I can get there as quickly as possible.